Bihar Election 2025: When will Election Commission announce polling dates? What we know

The Election Commission is all set to set for a two-day Bihar visit next week to review preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections.

This trip on 4 and 5 October, will be days after the new voters’ list based on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar will be published.

Before the Bihar visit, the top brass from the poll panel, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi, would meet the observers appointed for the polls on October 3 at the India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi.

“The Election Commission is planning to visit Bihar on October 4 and 5, 2025 to review the election preparedness for the forthcoming General Election to the Legislative Assembly. A briefing meeting of observers (general, police and expenditure), appointed by ECI for Bihar elections is also scheduled to be held at IIIDEM Dwarka on October 3, 2025,” an EC statement said last week.

When is Bihar Election Expected?

The exact dates of the voting for Bihar election 2025 will be known only in the official press conference by Election Commission of India. And usually, the commission’s visit to a poll-bound state is just days before the announcement of the election schedule.

The term of the Bihar Assembly is ending on 22 November. So the elections have to be held before that date.

When was Bihar Election held in 2020?

In 2020, the Bihar Assembly election was the first exercise held after COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Bihar elections were held in three phases on 28 October, 3 November, and 7 November. The results were announced on 10 November.

The incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerged as the winner with 125 elected MLAs, whereas the principal opposition coalition of Mahagathbandhan won 110 seats.

This year, the election schedule will take the festivals into account. Chhath and Diwali fall between October 18 and October 28. So, the poll panel will announce the dates accordingly.

The 2025 Bihar elections is expecetd to be a contest between the ruling alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Mahagathbandhan, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress party. Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor is also in the fray with his Jan Suraaj Party.